Pumping apparatus



J. P. RATIGAN. PUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17. 1920.

' 1,352,627, PatentedSept. 14, 1920'.

. V v/x/xmm 1/1, I 10 4/// 10 $15 7 10 UNITED STATES JAMES I. RATIGAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PUMPING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 17, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. RATIGAN, residing at Los Angeles, California, a citizen of Ireland, having declared my intention of becoming a citizen of the United States have invented a new and useful Pumping Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains more particularly to means for connecting a walking-beam to the clamp which ordinarily supports a cable or string of sucker rods employed in pumping a well, and an object of the invention is to relieve the connecting cable, as much as possible, from wear occasioned by operation of the walking-beam.

In pumping apparatus of the type at present extensively employed the cable, which is connected to the clamp, is fixed to the walking-beam, and when the walking-beam operates the cable is bent at the point of engagement of said cable with the walking-beam, thus entailing such friction between the fibers of the cable and between the cable and walking-beam as to cause the cable to quickly wear at said point. Thus the cable must be frequently renewed.

Another object of this invention is to pivotally connect the cable to the walkingbeam so that as the Walking-beam moves up and down the cable will freely accommodate itself to the changing positions of the walking-beam without undue friction on the cable.

Another object is to make provision for quickly disconnecting the walking-beam from the sucker line, when it is desired to pull the pump tubing or sucker line.

Another object is to provide for proper lubrication between the walking-beam and the pivoting head.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention; a portion of a walking-beam, a clamp and a fragment of a sucker rod being shown in proper relation for pumping.

Fig. 2 is a view of Fig. 1 from the right thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal view, partly in section, of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section on line indicated by w a: Fig. 3.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1920.

Serial No. 352,209.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 3.

The invention is indicated in general by the character a and comprises a shaft or stem 1 provided at its upper end with a pivoting head 2 and at its lower end with a connection member 3, in this instance in the form of a semicircular fork. The lower ends of the fork may be connected together by a brace 4, if it be deemed that such brace is necessary to strengthen the fork. The fork 3 is provided with a semicircular groove 5 which is preferably narrower at its bottom than at its top, being, in fact, essentiall V shaped. At the junction of the stem 1 an fork 3 the stem forms an expanded portion 6 which extends from side to side of the groove 5, connecting the sides of said groove with the stem.

The pivot head 2 may, if desired, be provided with a recess 7 to hold a quantity of cotton waste 8 or other absorbent material. Extending through the bottom 9 of the head 2 and communicating with the recess 7 are ducts 10. At their upper edges the sides 11 of the head are connected to each other by a cross bar 12 which, together with the middle portion of the head 2, forms an eye as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The lower face of the bottom 9 of the head is semicircular as clearly shown at 13 in Figs. 1 and 4.

In practice the head 2 will be placed transversely of the walking-beam, indicated at b in Fig. 1. The walking-beam b will be provided with a vertically extending slot 0 in its outer end, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, to accommodate the stem 1. The absorbent material 8 will be charged'with a suitable lubricant. A connection, indicated at d, Figs. 1 and 2, will be rove through the groove 5. This connection d has its ends fastened to any suitable clamp 6, Figs. 1 and 2. The clamp e is well known inthe pumping art and is employed to grip the sucker line, which is fragmentarily indicated at f, Figs. 1 and 2. In the drawings the connection at is indicated as being in the form of a cable and such cable may be of wire or any other suitable material. The invention, however, is not limited to its employment with a cable for the connection, since said connection may be a chain or a rod suitably bent for the purose. p After the invention has been installed, as

above described, the motor, not shown, op-

crating the walking-beam b will be put into operation, thus causing the outer end of the walking-beam to reciprocate in a vertical path in a manner well understood in the pumping art. When the walking-beam is approximately midway of its stroke, as indicated in Fig. 1, the pivoting head 2 will be substantially in alinement with the axis of the sucker line f, but as the walking-beam moves toward the ends of its stroke the pivot head 2 is carried to one side of the extended axis of the sucker line f, thus causing the head 2 to rock slightly upon the walking-beam. As this rocking takes place oil will seep through the ducts 10 and spread upon the upper face of the walkingbeam beneath the bottom of the head so as' to properly lubricate the engaging surfaces of the walking-beam and head. In the drawings the head 2 is not fastened to the walking-beam, but it is understood that if such fastening is desirable, as it might be in some instances, suitable straps may be fastened to the walking-beam and extend over the head 2, but such fastenings are well understood in the pumping art and therefore need not be shown and described in detail herein.

If it be desired to pull the sucker line or, for any other reason, to disconnect the head 2 from the walking-beam, the hook of the hoisting tackle, generally employed for such purpose, will be engaged with the eye 13 and then the hoisting apparatus will be put into operation to lift the head from the walking-beam. The head may be replaced on the walking-beam by a reverse operation. It is thus clear that the sucker line can be very quickly connected with and disconnected from the walking-beam.

The invention is not limited in its broader phases to the exact details of construction shown in the drawings and described above, but the invention also embraces such changes and modifications as'may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In pumping apparatus, a stem, a head at one end of the stem having a semicircular bottom and adapted to rest upon the upper face of a walking-beam, and a connection member at the other end of the stem provided with a grooved fork adapted to engage a cable.

2. In pumping apparatus, a stem, a head at one end of the stem having a semicircular bottom and having a recess and having ducts in its bottom communicating with the recess, and means to connect the other end of the stem to a cable.

3. In pumping apparatus, a stem, a head extending transversely to the axis of the stem and having a curved bottom adapted to rest on a walking-beam, there being a recess in the head and ducts in the bottom communicating with the recess, means to connect the stem to a cable, and a cross bar connecting the upper edges of the sides of the recess to each other, the recess adjacent the cross bar forming an eye.

4:. In pumping apparatus, a stem, a head extending transversely to the axis of the stem and having a semicircular bottom, and a fork at one end of the stem provided with a groove V-shaped in cross-section.

5. In pumping apparatus, a stem, a head at one end of the stem having a semicircular bottom and extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the stem, and a fork at the other end of the stem provided with a semicircular groove to receive a cable.

6. In pumping apparatus, a stem, a connecting member at one end of the stem having a grooved fork adapted to engage a cable, and means at the other end of the stem to connect the stem with a walkingbeam.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 9th day of January, 1920.

JAMES P. RATIGAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. HILES, L. BELLE lVnAvER. 

